Lightning strike delays launch of shuttle

NASA resets liftoff of Atlantis for Monday afternoon.

NASA resets liftoff of Atlantis for Monday afternoon.

August 27, 2006|MARTIN MERZER McClatchy Newspapers

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A powerful bolt of lightning that struck a launch pad attached to space shuttle Atlantis forced NASA to delay the spaceship's liftoff for at least one day -- and possibly longer. The launch of Atlantis and a crew of six astronauts led by Brent Jett Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is now scheduled for no earlier than 4 p.m. Monday. Blastoff had been scheduled for today, but managers for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said they needed at least one extra day to inspect for damage from a powerful lightning bolt that struck Launch Pad 39B Friday afternoon. Atlantis is docked to that pad and was undergoing final launch preparations. The bolt hit a lightning arrester designed to absorb the blow, but engineers saw some indications that one component on the pad and one on the shuttle might have sustained damage. They decided to conduct more inspections of the shuttle's sensitive electronics, just in case. "We know just enough to know that we don't know enough to press on with a launch situation," said LeRoy Cain, a NASA launch manager. He said the inspections -- delayed somewhat by stormy weather that moved through the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday -- could take longer than one day, and any repairs that might be needed would require more time.